A known image forming apparatus, e.g., a printer, includes a sheet feeding device. The sheet feeding device typically includes a sheet cassette for storing recording sheets, e.g., plain paper and transparency sheets, which is detachable from a body casing of the image forming apparatus, and an actuator lever for detecting the presence or absence of a recording sheet in the sheet cassette. The actuator lever is pivotally coupled to the body casing.
The actuator lever is configured to pivotally move such that a distal end portion (lower end portion) of the actuator lever lowers and approaches a bottom portion of the sheet cassette in response to reduction of the number of recording sheets stored in the sheet cassette. The image forming apparatus detects the presence or absence of a recording sheet by detecting the position of the actuator lever.
However, if the sheet cassette is removed from the body casing with the distal end portion of the actuator lever remaining in a lower position and if the size of a sheet in the sheet cassette does not match the size of sheet that the sheet cassette is set to hold, the sheet cassette or a sheet stored in the sheet cassette may collide with the actuator lever and cause the actuator lever to be damaged.
To minimize such damage to the actuator lever, the distal end portion of the actuator lever may be formed with a guide surface inclined in a direction where the sheet cassette is removed. When the sheet cassette is removed from the body casing, the stack of recording sheets stored in the sheet cassette may be forced to collide against the inclined guide surface, causing the actuator lever to pivot in such a manner as to allow the sheet cassette to be withdrawn.